‘More Important’—Chelsea, Liverpool Transfer Target Explains Summer Snub

Malick Fofana drew interest from both Chelsea and Liverpool this summer, but the 20-year-old decided to stay at Lyon where he is guaranteed minutes.

The giants of the Premier League did not hesitate to splash cash this summer, with Liverpool and Chelsea leading the way. The defending English champions spent £415 million ($560.6 million) to sign 10 new players while the Blues dished out £282.1 million ($379.7 million) to welcome 12 new faces to Stamford Bridge.

Fofana, who was linked with both clubs at various points during the summer transfer window, could have been yet another player on their way to either Merseyside or west London. Except despite apparent interest, a deal from either Liverpool or Chelsea never materialised for the promising young winger.

While on international duty with Belgium, Fofana spoke with the media about the transfers that never happened, revealing the reason he decided to stay at Lyon despite the club’s brief demotion to Ligue 2.

“There was interest from those two clubs, but ultimately it wasn’t concrete enough,” Fofana said. “I thought about a transfer, but I think it’s more important now that I play a lot, and that has to happen at Lyon. Because I still have progress to make.”

Malick Fofana ended last season with 16 goal contributions. | Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Indeed, Fofana would have struggled for minutes at Liverpool or Chelsea given the quality of attacking talent both sides signed this summer. It is hard to imagine the Belgian earning consistent minutes on a team with the likes of Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitiké, Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz.

The same goes for Chelsea, who have João Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Pedro Neto, Estêvão, Liam Delap and Cole Palmer now at their disposal.

In France, though, Fofana is a staple in Lyon’s XI. The winger made 41 appearances across all competitions last season and has already started all three of the French outfit’s Ligue 1 matches in 2025–26.

With his sights set on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Fofana reiterated that he has to be in an environment that gives him the opportunity to play and improve his game week in and week out.

“Of course [I want to go to the 2026 World Cup], but I realise I still have a lot to prove. I’ve already made progress. I’m now more decisive and more involved in the game,” Fofana said.